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Simon Dean Interview – Ryback’s Ascension, Who He Sees As A Top Star, Dolph Ziggler Being A Midcarder, CM Punk

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Mike Bucci, who appeared in WWE as Simon Dean and ECW as Hollywood Nova, joined the VOC Wrestling Nation to discuss the career of Ryback, and how he ascended from a failed WWE Developmental project to being at the top of the card at WWE Hell in a Cell. Bucci was one of the head trainers when WWE Developmental was in Ohio Valley.

The VOC Wrestling Nation is the flagship program of the VOC Nation Radio Network, and can be heard every Wednesday at 5PM ET WORLDWIDE at VocNation.com.

Bucci discussed a variety of topics, and the entire interview can be heard at VocNation.com. Here are some highlights:

On being on the trainers in OVW that worked with Ryback: “I love the guy. People are looking at the guy like he’s an overnight success, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Ryback was originally discovered by Ty Bailey (former head of WWE developmental) to be a contestant for the first season of Tough Enough and he didn’t make it through. I guess they just didn’t think he had “it” at that time.

On Ryback being a wrestling fan: “He got signed to OVW and they used to call him the Silverback. This dude trained so hard inside the ring and out of it. He is a true wrestling fan; in this business, if you’re not a wrestling fan, you will not last. You’ll make money and get over, but there is a difference between making money and drawing money. The guys in this business who draw money are usually the guys who are fans of the business. He is a true fan and a great guy.”

On Ryback being compared to Goldberg: “Bill Goldberg came in and made wrestling cool. He was a butt kicker, and everyone knew who he was. There are three types of fans: 1)People who will always watch wrestling; 2) People who will never watch wrestilng; and 3) People who will watch wrestling when they think it’s cool to watch it, and Bill Goldberg brought out those types of fans. People are still talking about Bill Goldberg 10 years after his last match. (Ryback has the potential to be that.)”

On why Ryback will succeed: “(Ryback) busted his ass so hard to make it. This guy will not be a drug addict, he will not be a goof; he will not embarrass the company. If I were a kid right now, I would love this guy; he looks like a real life superhero. He’s a larger than life figure. When he comes out, you know things are going to happen, and people are going to get hurt. When you look at the roster, there is nobody else like that right now.”

On Ryback being able to survive as a character: “Vince always goes to the muscle guy. They had it with Cena for a long time. (Ryback) has a ton of personality. He can talk, he can do all of that; but people are going to pay to see him kick ass. They’re trying to build a star, so for me (on Sunday at WWE Hell in a Cell), he HAS to win. He’s gotta hit the finish 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring, no screwjobs. Wrestling titles are fake, nobody wins the title, it’s given to you. They have the opportunity to do something special here, and I hope they don’t screw it up.”

On the days of a slow build-up of a star being gone: “The slow build is done. There are so many channels on TV, and we live in an ADD society. People don’t have as much commitment anymore to sit there and salivate over a guy that they hope is being created over 6 months. “

On building the company around one particular guy: “Fans see the WWE as a show, and the guys on the show just happen to be part of that show…there is only one group of people that can’t be replaced on that roster and that’s the McMahon family. That’s why Vince made himself into the top heel in the late 90s. He knew that he was the only guy he could count on that would not leave for WCW. When you’re a WWE fan, you’re a fan of the brand. There’s never going to be another Rock, or another Stone Cold.”

On who are the top guys of the future: “Damien Sandow is a STAR, and they dropped the ball on him for 10 years. I told everyone who would listen that he was a star. When he failed the first time, he went to Puerto Rico and reinvented himself. What you see now is what he is in real life. This guy was at my house and had a conversation with my wife’s dog; that’s how nuts he is. (Damien) is in the top 5 of the workers in that company right now. I’m talking about the ability to work a gimmick, control the crowd, talk on the mic, and have a believable character. And he’s 6’4 260lbs.

On Dolph Ziggler and why he stays in the mid card: “He’s a great dude; he busted his ass. (Dolph) is successful because he’s a true wrestling fan. The people want him so bad, and if they don’t (push him) soon, they run the risk of having him always look like that guy who will never get over the hump.”

On CM Punk: “I have never seen anybody defy the odds of what he’s done. It doesn’t make any sense on how he got to where he is. So many people bashed him along the way, and only one guy believed in him: Vince McMahon. He doesn’t even look like a wrestler, but he hung in there and he made it.

Vickie To Expose Cena & AJ On RAW, WWE Live Event Tour Business Figures

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– John Cena and Vickie Guerrero have been going back and forth on Twitter today regarding the storyline “affair” between John Cena and former RAW GM AJ Lee.

After getting called out by Cena for not showing her “proof” of the affair, Vickie has now promised to expose the truth and reveal her proof on Monday’s RAW from Charlotte, NC.

https://twitter.com/excusemewwe/status/261501471265259520

– Here are some numbers from WWE’s recent live event tours:

RAW Brand’s Northeast US Tour:

* 10/19 in Trenton, NJ: 6,500 fans and $200,000 gate
* 10/20 in Reading, PA: 5,000 fans and $160,000 gate
* 10/21 in Hartford, CT: 6,000 fans and $150,000 gate

SmackDown’s Tour of Egypt:

* 10/18 in Cairo: 5,000 fans and $300,000 gate
* 10/19 in Cairo: 9,000 fans and $650,000 gate
* 10/20 in Cairo: 6,500 fans and $300,000 gate

(Partial Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Mark Henry Returning Soon, Rey Mysterio’s Stomach Virus, Jericho-DDP Yoga

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– Mark Henry is expected to be back on television soon, which has been the case for a while now. Henry has dropped a lot of weight since his last appearance on WWE television.

Recent Picture of Mark Henry Looking Skinny

– The severe stomach virus that Rey Mysterio was recently battling was due to a bad case of food poisoning. Mysterio is currently on very good terms with WWE, with the company giving him a lighter live events schedule to minimize the wear and tear on his body.

WWE is also very pleased with Mysterio’s efforts to help get Sin Cara over.

– Chris Jericho will be joining Diamond Dallas Page for the next Yoga For Guys DVD. Jericho has been a strong supporter of DDP’s program since he began using it during his stint on “Dancing with the Stars.”

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Jack Swagger Getting Repackaged, Vader’s WWE HQ Visit Explained, Fozzy

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– Following up on our earlier report about Vader visiting WWE headquarters last week, he was there to be interviewed for WWE’s upcoming DVD set on the career of Mick Foley. Surprisingly, Shane Douglas was also interviewed for the project, despite how outspoken he’s been about WWE in recent years.

– Chris Jericho’s band Fozzy’s song “Sandpaper,” one of the theme songs for WWE’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, reached #38 on the Active Rock charts this week.

– Jack Swagger has been off television so he can be repackaged and eventually brought back with a big push. After how badly he’s been buried over the past year, the feeling was that he really needed to be out of the spotlight for a while in order for him to be taken seriously in the future. Swagger wrestled at this past weekend’s WWE live events and was sporting a new, longer, slicked-back haircut.

* WWE’s Survivor Series Plans, 2 Young Superstars In Line For BIG Pushes & More

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Matt Hardy Interview: 3 Hours Of RAW Too Much, How WWE Can Improve & More

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Matt Hardy appeared on this week’s Kayfabe Wrestling Radio, hosted by Alan Wojcik & Spug. You can listen to the whole show by clicking here (.MP3).

In a nearly 20 minute interview he talked about wrestling in Nashville, how he feels fans approach the product today is if that is regionally based, True Blood and other television and its effect on wrestling, if RAW going to three hours was a mistake, what the WWE should do to help build the fans interest, his appearance in Ring of Honor and the fan’s reaction to that appearance, his use of DDP Yoga and the success of it with wrestlers, the Omega Group success, his recent match with Crossfire Heavyweight Champion “King” Shane Williams, updates on MattHardyBrand.com and much more.

Here are some highlights of what Matt Hardy said about:

What he thinks of fans being overly critical of the wrestling product and if there’s a regional aspect to that:

“They ruin the experience for themselves, in my opinion. I mean the thing is watching a wrestling match is like watching a really good TV show or watching a really good movie; when it’s all said and done you realize, ‘Hey, I’m watching this to be entertained.” It’s really going be as entertaining as you allow yourself to find it. You understand the parameters that go with professional wrestling; there’s the situation where guys fight one another, they do these larger-than-life moves, they’re almost like living breathing superheroes, they shoot guys into the ropes and guys come back. That’s the parameters professional wrestling is built around. So don’t over think that, just because you have a feeling of what the business is about because it’s so accessible because you can read online or there’s so much information out there to get. The thing is, just sit back and enjoy it like a fan. And even the people who are smarter, they realize this storyline happens because that is what draws you into a wrestling match; it’s not the moves, people can do moves all day long but if there’s not a good story in that match that someone can follow and that is really complex, the fans won’t get emotionally involved like they should.

I mean my thing is, if I’m sitting back and watching True Blood, where it’s a show that had vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, and all these other things, when something out of the ordinary happens, we thing ‘Woah, these parameters are a little big with what we are working with here and there’s extraordinary stuff going on,’ so sit back and enjoy what’s going on and be entertained by it. A lot of times, fane feel like they are over educated and become overly critical of the product; they are just hurt themselves and not allowing themselves to be entertained. ”

RAW going to three hours and the problems with that:

“In my opinion, and I know a lot of people said this, three hours is just too long. It was a really nod for the RAW 1000 episode. Past that, from what we’ve seen, three hours is just a little too long for them, especially considering how many first run shows they do a week, three hours is a long time to try and keep a viewer’s attention, especially in 2012.”

What he thinks the WWE can do to improve themselves and compete with other TV:

“I don’t think it has to be tacky; I think it does need to be edgy in some ways. Once again, it’s just like, last night I watched the show (RAW) and this is one thing, to segway into Crossfire for a second; one thing I hope they do in promoting the TV style is using the qualities that southern wrestling is based on: a new, more edgy engineered product, that when you tell the fans one thing, you don’t go back on your word; you stay consistent with that. Last night, for instance, there was a storyline, who knows what it’ll develop into, where AJ was removed from being the General Manager of Raw because of some sort of controversial dinner date she has with John Cena, and Vickie Guerrero was placed in charge. She’s (Vickie) been been fraternizing with Dolph Ziggler the whole while she was the General Manager and she was also married to Edge. The thing is, wrestling fans aren’t dumb; they remember these things and I think when the fans see something like that, they go ‘Why would they do that? They didn’t do that before; they don’t think I don’t remember that? Do they think I’m stupid?’ I think you just need to keep a consistent thing. I think the days of letting the person that’s the General Manager of RAW be a heel, and cheat and do bad things, or have someone you just considered yourself or tagged to be a crazy chick, like AJ, as the General Manager who Vince put in charge. I don’t think you can do that anymore. I think if you want wrestling to be taken seriously, you have to promote it seriously and stay consistent and there has to be continuity throughout.”

* The Latest On JEFF HARDY’s Future: Staying With TNA Or Returning To WWE?

Ryback Officially Changes Brands, Konnan Addresses Raw Mention, WWE Classics On Demand

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– Ryback, who has primarily competed on Raw in recent weeks, is now listed as a member of the Raw roster on the official WWE website. It is his second official stint with the brand, with the first taking place in 2010 when he was a member of The Nexus.

– During the finals of the No. 1 Tag Team Title No. 1 Contenders’ Tournament on Raw Monday, broadcaster Jim Ross acknowledged participant Rey Mysterio’s past tag team partnerships with Konnan and Juventud Guerrera. When it was brought to Konnan’s attention on Twitter, he responded, “wow i must not be blackballed..thats a first.”

Konnan is believed to be considered persona non grata within WWE after bolting from the promotion in 1992 following a disagreement with Vince McMahon. The WWE chief previously had big plans for Konnan, as he had spent over $10,000 on an elaborate outfit for him to wear as the futuristic character Max Moon.

– This week’s WWE Classics On Demand updates are as follows: WWE Over the Limit (May 20, 2012), World Wrestling Federation at Philadelphia Spectrum (October 11, 1980), WWWF Championship Wrestling (September 17, 1977), ECW Hardcore TV (May 19, 1998), WWF Prime Time Wrestling (September 11, 1989).

Big Show Reveals What’s On His iPod, WWE Remembers Giant Gonzales, Mick Foley’s Home Filmed By WWE

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– Big Show spoke to Sports Illustrated this week to promote THQ’s WWE ’13 video game and answered a number of pop culture and wrestling questions. Among things learned is that Big Show has Katy Perry’s “Firework” on his iPod.

– The tallest wrestler in history, Giant Gonzales, is the latest addition to the official WWE website’s Alumni section. WWE says of the late grappler, “No Superstar in sports-entertainment history was as immense as Giant Gonzales. Not The Great Khali. Not Big Show. Not even the legendary Andre the Giant. All men stood in the shadow of the 8-foot monster from the wilds of Argentina.”

– WWE is filming Mick Foley today. He tweeted this afternoon, “Anxiously awaiting the arrival of @WWE crew, to film a feature on my year-round Christmas room. I feel like a 7 year-old on Christmas Eve..instead of a 47 year-old on October 25th..which is what I am. Wow, a 47 year-old guy in a year-round Christmas room…sounds like a loser. #OnlyTwoMonthsUntilChristmasBrother.”

John Cena and Vickie Guerrero Further Affair Storyline On Twitter, Kelly Kelly’s Prices Reduced, Kenn Doane

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– On Twitter Thursday, John Cena responded to Vickie Guerrero’s allegations that he had an affair with AJ Lee, which led to the diminutive Diva stepping down from her post as Raw General Manager by the WWE Board of Directors on Monday.

“Ok @ExcuseMeWWE not gonna go back and forth so ill leave it with this.. U got proof of an ‘affair’ with @WWEAJLee and I, show @wwe,” Cena wrote in response to Guerrero stating the day prior that his “actions” with Lee are “interesting” to her. “Just truly think its sad that @WWEAJLee lost her job because of ‘allegations’ that is a bigtime blunder by @wwe #BringBackAJ.”

In response, Guerrero said she will have proof this Monday on Raw. She wrote to Cena, “Ask and you shall receive…tune into RAW this Monday as I have the “evidence” #CougarInCharge.”

– Northeast Wrestling has announced that prices for former WWE performer Barbie “Kelly Kelly” Blank’s autographs and photo-ops at her appearances on Saturday, November 3 at the Galleria at Crystal Run in Middletown, New York, and Sunday, November 4 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Waterbury, Connecticut have been reduced.

Autographs and photo-ops are now $30 each, or save $10 by purchasing a combo for $50. Additional autographs and photo-ops are available for $25 that day. Those who have already pre-ordered the items will be refunded the difference. (Event Details)

– Kenn Doane, formerly known as Kenny and Kenny Dykstra in WWE, is now playing football at Nichols College after not playing since high school. Though listed as a tight end on the school’s official website, he primarily plays defense on a limited basis. Through eight games into the season, he has eight solo tackles and five assisted tackles.

Backstage News On AJ Lee Being Removed As RAW GM & What’s Next

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On Monday’s WWE RAW, we saw Vince McMahon relieve AJ Lee from her duties as the General Manager of RAW. The idea of AJ Lee being removed as RAW GM was scripted months ago, as far back as late August.

At the time, Ric Flair was to be brought in as the new authority figure. With next Monday’s RAW taking place from Charlotte, North Carolina, there’s more speculation that Flair’s return is imminent. However, just a few days ago, people in WWE were under the impression that WWE won’t touch Flair until they were certain it would not hurt their case on the ongoing TNA vs. WWE lawsuit.

WWE is being so careful about not playing into TNA’s argument that “WWE is tampering with TNA talent” that they won’t even let Jerry Brisco visit his son Wes in Orlando because it could be seen as ‘a WWE executive meeting with a TNA contracted wrestler.’

While Flair will be joining WWE as soon as the coast is clear, some people in WWE have been surprised that Vince McMahon is being so cautious about the situation, when the old Vince would not be intimidated by anybody and would have done whatever he wanted.

* WWE’s Survivor Series Plans, 2 Young Superstars In Line For BIG Pushes & More

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

WWE Seeking Divas Through Casting Call, Update On John Laurinaitis, Smith James Receives Tryout, Big Show

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– WWE issued a casting call last week seeking women to apply to become female talent for the sports-entertainment organization as “Divas.”

WWE is looking for woman between the ages of 18 and 30 “with charismatic personalities, beautiful faces and great bodies.” Resumes as well as headshots and bikini body shots, are being requested.

Wrestling experience was not mentioned in the casting breakdown, with it being noted that WWE Divas “instantly gain a huge fan base”, travel the world and appear on television in “600 million homes worldwide,” and take part in multimedia shoots and charities.

– John Laurinaitis, who is currently recovering from shoulder surgery, is not expected to return to the road as WWE’s head producer until the end of the year.

– Independent wrestler Smith James was among those evaluated by WWE officials at this week’s television tapings.

– Big Show is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

WWE September Business Data: WWE.com Traffic, Shop Orders, DVDs, Live Events

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Here are some WWE business figures from the month of September, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

– WWE live events drew an average of 4,104 paid fans, down from 4,271 in 2011.

– The month’s top-selling DVDs were WrestleMania 28 (11,000 shipped), The Undertaker’s latest DVD (11,000 shipped) and the 2012 Royal Rumble DVD (2,000 shipped).

For the year, the top selling DVDs are WrestleMania 28 (230,000 shipped), The Rock’s DVD (148,000), Undertaker’s DVD (104,000), Royal Rumble (86,000) and Edge’s DVD (78,000).

– WWE.com had 12.3 million unique visitors, up a strong 18% from the previous year.

– WWEShop averaged 667 web site merchandise orders per day in September, the same as 2011.

John Cena Going Overseas With WWE, WWE’s Brooklyn Woes, NXT Tapings

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– WWE will be holding NXT tapings from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida on November 1st and 15th.

– WWE RAW on Monday, 12/17, the night after WWE’s Tables, Ladders & Chairs PPV, will take place from Philadelphia, PA. With TLC taking place from the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, WWE expected to hold RAW there the next night as well. After ticket sales were sluggish for TLC, WWE realized it would be difficult to run a show there the following night and moved it to Philly.

– John Cena will be going on WWE’s upcoming European tour that begins on October 31st. It’s unknown whether he’ll be healthy enough to wrestle on every show, but he’ll be appearing.

* THE MIZ In Line For A Main Event Push & Who Will Be The NEW RAW GM

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Linda McMahon Not Polling Well, WWE Hell In A Cell Online Pre-Show

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– WWE will be holding a 30-minute online pre-show (Youtube.com, WWE.com) prior to Sunday’s WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, despite the fact that it wasn’t mentioned on RAW. No matches have been announced for the show, but John Cena will be addressing the situation of AJ Lee being removed as RAW General Manager.

– Linda McMahon has lost a lot of ground in her US Senate campaign against Democrat Chris Murphy.

A University of Connecticut/Hartford Courant poll has Linda behind trailing 44-38% with 17% undecided. A Hamilton Campaigns poll has Murphy up 46-40% with 10% undecided. Rasmussen’s latest poll has Murphy up 48-47%. Rasmussen typically skews Republican and had Chris Murphy previously up by 5%.

A big turning point in the race was the recent series of debates between the two candidates. While Linda McMahon didn’t do so bad, it’s believed that Murphy was the clear winner and stopped Linda’s momentum in its tracks.

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Chris Jericho’s WWE Future, Update On WWE Acquiring Mid South Library

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– WWE announced this week that it finally closed on the purchase of the Mid South tape library from the family of Bill Watts. After a basic agreement was reached back in June, the deal was finalized in the past two weeks. One sticking point that delayed the closing was that the Watts family wanted to to continue selling DVDs of the Mid South footage.

– Chris Jericho is expected to return to WWE down the road, when he has an extended break from touring/recording with his band, Fozzy. Jericho’s return earlier this year was when he didn’t have anything going on with music. His original deal was for six months but it was extended when Fozzy’s album release was delayed.

WWE is only interested in using Jericho if he can commit to them exclusively for extended periods and it was WWE that ended their most recent negotiations with Jericho.

Jericho recently stated that he won’t be at WrestleMania 29, as Fozzy will touring Australia in February and March.

* UNDERTAKER Not Wrestling At WM29 & When LESNAR Is Returning

(Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Impact Wrestling Preview: Jeff Hardy Defends The TNA Title On Championship Thursday

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Here is TNA’s official preview for tonight’s live Impact Wrestling on Spike TV:

– “Championship Thursday” is back, and the World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line as new titleholder “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy defends the gold against an opponent to be select by “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan! The contenders that Hogan will pick from are: Mr. Anderson, James Storm, Bully Ray, and Kurt Angle

– What do The Aces & 8s and Devon have planned next after their assault last week? Can Hulk Hogan, Sting, Bully Ray and the TNA roster find a way to turn the tide against the biker gang? The war continues on Thursday’s broadcast on SpikeTV!

– In a “Bound For Glory” rematch, new Knockouts Champion Tara (with her Hollywood boyfriend Jessie Godderz) will defend the gold against Miss Tessmacher on Thursday’s broadcast

– Also as part of “Championship Thursday”, new X Division Champion Rob Van Dam will put his title on the line against former champ Zema Ion!

All this and much more on Thursday’s IMPACT WRESTLING broadcast on SpikeTV LIVE at 8/7c

Paul Heyman Reportedly Proposes Three-Wrestler Faction, Sheamus Promotes SmackDown, Triple H Featured

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– Paul Heyman, who is gaining more creative influence within WWE, recently proposed a faction consisting of WWE Champion CM Punk, Brock Lesnar and Antonio Cesaro, according to SuperLuchas.net.

– World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus appeared on WPRI-TV’s morning show Tuesday promoting the evening’s SmackDown event in Providence, Rhode Island at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. Video of his appearance is available here.

– Triple H is featured in today’s “Superstar Spotlight” on WWE.com.

– WWE has no live events scheduled before Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

WWE Has Video Removed Of Ryback Botching “Shell Shocked” On Paul Heyman At Live Event On Sunday

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A fan-shot video of Ryback botching his finishing maneuver, “Shell Shocked,” on Paul Heyman at Sunday’s Raw live event in Hartford, Conn., has been removed from YouTube.com due to a third-party notification by WWE claiming copyright infringement.

Though filming is prohibited at WWE live events, the sports-entertainment organization rarely has footage shot at shows removed from video-sharing websites. However, this video gained viral attention after it drew the ire of similarly-styled wrestler, Bill Goldberg, on Twitter.

As the video showed, Ryback was unable to lift Heyman for “Shell Shocked,” even as the weighty manager tried his best to assist his leverage. The muscle-bound wrestler then improvised by performing a maneuver resembling Goldberg’s world-famous “Jackhammer.”

Goldberg, who said last week that comparisons between the two don’t bother him, tweeted in response to a fan pointing him to the video, “NOW comparisons offend me.”

The two-time World Heavyweight Champion then re-tweeted a message ridiculing the burgeoning star: “Ryback is to @Goldberg as the Renegade was to @UltimateWarrior. It’s silly.”

Sunday’s event was not Ryback’s first bungling of his signature move as he was also unable to hoist Tensai not once, but twice on Raw three weeks ago. However, it was heavily speculated online that Tensai intentionally undermined Ryback by not cooperating with his attempted throws.

Vickie Guerrero and John Cena Further Their Storyline On Twitter, The Rock Weighs In On “Business Dinner”

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Raw’s Managing Supervisor, Vickie Guerrero, who was appointed the position on Monday’s show after AJ Lee decided to step down as brand General Manager by the WWE Board of Directors for allegedly fraternizing with John Cena, is furthering the storyline on Twitter.

After announcing that she will on hand for Raw’s entire tour of the United Kingdom next month, she tweeted Wednesday morning, “How rude of me, I keep thanking @WWEAJLee for my new success, but I am sending a special “thank you” to @JohnCena #CougarInCharge.”

John Cena responded to her remarks shortly thereafter, tweeting, “Bit of advice @ExcuseMeWWE I know u r proud of your ‘actions’ but if u wanna run your mouth about me, it wont work. Ask @therock.”

As the storyline goes, Guerrero claimed to the WWE Board of Directors that Lee and Cena had a “business dinner,” and Lee decided not to fight the accusations to avoid dragging Cena’s name through the mud.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also weighed in on the matter tweeting in response to Cena’s remark, “@JohnCena @ExcuseMeWWE @WWE Where’d U take @AJLee for your “business dinner”? Golden Corral? McDonalds? #CheapJabroni.”

WWE Reports Night of Champions PPV Buy Estimate, AJ Lee Video Interview, John Morrison & Melina Cancel Appearance

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– The preliminary pay-per-view buys estimate for WWE’s Night of Champions pay-per-view event on September 16, 2012 is 189,000 worldwide. This is up from 161,000 buys for last year’s show headlined by WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Triple H.

The break down is 100,000 domestic buys (53 percent) and 89,000 international buys (47 percent).

The event was headlined by WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Cena.

– Ringside Collectibles hosted former Raw General Manager AJ Lee at Ringside Fest 2012, the ninth annual Ringside Fest. She discussed the event, her first ever Mattel WWE action figure and more.

– Former WWE Superstars John Morrison and Melina have canceled their advertised appearances at “Chiller Theatre” this weekend at the Sheraton Parsippany in Parsippany, New Jersey.

WWE Stars Place Their Bets On Steve Austin vs. CM Punk, WWE Returning To Minnesota, Sheamus Featured

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– This week on WWE Inbox, WWE Superstars place their bets on who would win if WWE Champion CM Punk and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin extended their ongoing feud to a match in the squared circle.

– WWE will hold a SmackDown live event at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday, December 28, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. as part of its Smackdown Holiday Tour.

– Sheamus is featured on the cover of the latest issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

Dana White Says Brock Lesnar Will Never Fight For UFC Again

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UFC President Dana White says Brock Lesnar will never return to the UFC, despite recent talks about the former Heavyweight MMA champion returning to the Octagon.

White called into the “Dave and Mahoney” show on X107.5 in Las Vegas on Tuesday and confirmed, “He’s done. He called me a couple of days ago. He’s never coming back.”

After two life-threatening bouts with the intestinal disease diverticulitis, White said, “His body can’t take it.”

Lesnar is current under a 1-year contract with WWE that includes a limited number of remaining dates.

“[Brock] said he can wrestle, but he can’t fight,” White said. “He was contemplating coming back.”

* News On BROCK LESNAR’s Rumored WrestleMania 29 Opponent

The Latest On Ric Flair’s WWE Return, Jericho Clarifies Ryback Comments & More

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– There is a lot of talk that WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair’s WWE return could take place as soon as this Monday night, when WWE RAW returns to the heart of Flair Country – Charlotte, North Carolina. The feeling is that he could be brought in as the new RAW General Manager.

– The pre-sale password for the 12/17 WWE RAW show from Philadelphia is JOHNCENA. Tickets are on sale now. The advertised main event is John Cena and Sheamus vs. CM Punk and Big Show.

– Following up on his comments on the Busted Open radio show this week about WWE needing to put the WWE title on Ryback this weekend at Hell in a Cell to make the most out of his current momentum, Chris Jericho tweeted:

(Partial Source: PWInsdier)

WWE Survivor Series Ad Reveals Major Possible *Spoilers*

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Local advertisements for this year’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view reveal what could be major spoilers for WWE’s upcoming storylines.

According to the ads, the main event for WWE Survivor Series will be CM Punk vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship.

The ad also says that there will be a traditional Survivor Series team elimination match – with Ryback and Big Show as team captains.

While WWE’s plans might have changed in the past few weeks since the Survivor Series ads were created, they seem to indicate that CM Punk will retain the WWE Championship this Sunday at Hell in a Cell. Since CM Punk won the WWE title at last year’s Survivor Series, his match with John Cena would take place around the 1-year mark for his title reign.

Survivor Series 2012 takes place on Sunday, November 18, 2012 from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

CM Punk Talks About Wrestling Ryback At HIAC, Rivalries With John Cena & The Rock

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Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) of the Score Television Network and the Baltimore Sun recently spoke with current WWE Champion CM Punk about the upcoming WWE ’13 video game, his ‘Hell in a Cell’ opponent, what he’d still like to accomplish in WWE and more. Here’s what Punk said about:

On his ‘Hell in a Cell’ opponent Ryback and whether he’s surprised to face him:

“Im glad actually. I think you take a look at Ryback and he’s your typical WWE wrestler. He’s what Vince McMahon likes. But conversely, my choice was John Cena or Ryback; Cena’s had shot after shot after shot. To me, the ‘change’ I talked about a year and a half ago was about new people stepping up and getting shots, so I’m excited. Its something new, its something different and I can sink my teeth into it.”

Other topics include:

* Whether the rivalry between himself and John Cena will be the one that sticks out the most in his career.

* A possible match with the Rock at the Royal Rumble and whether it could be the biggest match of his career.

* Early retirement and what he feels he has left to accomplish in WWE

* Being on the cover of WWE ’13

* Which wrestlers he models himself after in the ring

* How he re-invents himself as a Superstar and WWE Champion

Here’s the interview:

* News On A New PAUL HEYMAN GUY Stable Forming Very Soon

Del Rio Teaming With His Brother Friday Night: Memo Montegro Talks Developmental Training, Changing His Style

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WWE developmental wrestler Memo Montegro will be teaming with his older brother, Alberto Del Rio, in a match against Kassius Ohno & Leo Kruger at Friday night’s WWE NXT live event from West Palm Beach, Florida. Montenegro spoke with The Miami Herald to promote the show and said this about:

Being in WWE developmental:

“It’s an incredible experience. In the three, four months I’ve been here, I’ve already learned so much. I can’t believe how much I’ve learned so far. I want to thank Bill DeMott, Norman Smiley, Joe Mercury, Ricky Steamboat, because they really help me and tell me my mistakes to learn from and improve and get better.”

How His Father Dos Cara Feels About Him Changing His In-Ring Style:

“My dad loved it. In Mexico, it’s a good business, but here it’s bigger, and it’s a bigger opportunity for me. My dad said in the future if something happens, ‘you’ll have the background working in the states, and it’ll be easier for you to work in Japan, Europe and even in Mexico.’ My dad likes that I’m following in the steps of my brother. My brother followed in the steps of my dad, and I’m following in the steps of my brother.”

Joining WWE & The Differences Between USA & Mexico’s In-Ring Styles

“I almost started wrestling in Mexico for CMLL, but then I spoke with John Laurinaitis [who was the WWE’s senior vice president of talent relations], and he told me they were going to sign me. There’s a really big difference between the Mexican style and the American style. There’s more psychology in the American style. So to prepare, I also started working with American wrestlers in Mexico. My brother is 6-4, and he weighs more than me, but for me I have good size here in America. I try to mix a little of the Mexican style with the American style. I do high-risk moves and combine it with the American style, so that helps me a lot.”

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